Name: Britany Taylor
Major(s): English/Secondary Education
Year of Graduation: 2010
Position: Featured writer (Fall 2009, Spring 2010)
What about poetry draws you to the craft over prose or another artistic form?
Poetry is a way to express meaning through short and sometimes simple phrases. I find poetry to incorporate more freedom than any other kind of writing. Nothing is limited, prescribed, or desired. Everyone has a different reaction, as well as interpretation. Poetry is diverse, and you’ll never read a poem the same way twice.
When did you get that creative spark that said to you "I need to write poetry?"
I’ve always written, but mostly in a journal where I wrote every night before I went to bed. I had written poems in high school, but they were more rigid in there construction and general meaning. I suppose my creative spark came when I entered college. My first time being away from home and “outside of the bubble” allowed me to experience more, both negative and positive. Thus inspiring me to write poetry more; it just felt natural.
Do you have a specific method to writing your poems?
No real method, other than I carry a small notebook with me through my classes and I jot down random thoughts that sometimes eventually morph into a poem. I usually just write what I feel, and then if I feel confident enough I’ll have someone read them and then give me their opinion. Usually, people just say “it sounds good but I don’t know what it means!” But that is significant in the fact that they receive some type of pleasure through my writing, just through a different sense.
Is there anything specific you'd like to say about your many published pieces?
I have just enjoyed writing and I was initially uncomfortable with submitting some recent pieces because I was unsure of the quality as some of the messages conveyed were intimate and personal. Now I am confident in my words and know that someone will relate to them, and if not, I hope they sound good!
What is your favorite word?
Right now, caballero.
Your particular style tends toward shorter poems with precise, often pointed, language. How much of this comes naturally vs. takes time through editing?
I would have to say that I don’t do much editing on my poems. I like the spontaneity of writing poetry, and everything that you write has meaning. So other than grammatical errors I generally keep the poem the same as it was when I first wrote it.
If you could pick one poet to sit down to cocktails with, who would it be? What effect has this person had on you?
Peter Covino, He is one of the reasons why I write the way I do. Until his writing class, I never thought of writing a poem that was loose, for instance “Citrus” that was published in last semester’s Independent Scribe.
As a graduating senior, how do you plan on keeping writing alive in your life after college?
I hope to keep writing in my journal and to always carry a small notebook around with me, even if I am not inspired because the simple though of knowing that you have a space to write your ideas in alone makes you want to contribute more. It is nice to know that I have the support from my boyfriend as well, who also loves to write. We sometimes have writing dates where we just sit around and invent poems. If I end up teaching right after college, I will teach my students everything they want to know about poetry, and encourage them to write, and write freely.
No comments:
Post a Comment